Ghosts of the Past
by applesandicedtea
Summary: Amon is back, but Korra is the only one who believes it. Will she be able to convince the others, or is it all in her head?
1. My Old Foe

Author's Note: I'm hoping this story lasts at least five chapters, which isn't really a lot, but I've never written one that long so I'll be happy to get that far. I hope you guys like it! (Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Legend of Korra or any of its characters.)

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Korra slurped on her noodles happily, savoring the warmth that spread from her belly to her toes. It was snowing in Republic City, which meant most people were huddled inside around their fires dreading the shoveling they would have to do. But Korra had been raised in the snow and ice, and she never felt more at home then when the white stuff was coming down. Plus, she could just waterbend the snow off the training grounds at the Air Temple no sweat.

Just as she finished the last of her noodles, she saw a shadow run by in the corner of her eye. Korra turned sharply to catch a glimpse, but no one was there. She couldn't hear the sound of footsteps crunching the snow, nor did she see any tracks. The Avatar shrugged, because really who could take her? She walked toward the direction of the marina, hoping to catch a boat to the Island before the storm really hit. The White Lotus, not to mention Tenzin, always got on her case if she stayed in the city without telling them first.

By the time she reached the house it was dark, and the building smelled like Pema's cooking. She rubbed her full stomach guiltily since Pema had probably made enough to accommodate her usually endless appetite. Korra trudged up the front steps to the main building, ignoring the pointed looks of the White Lotus on guard. She slammed the door with extra force once she made it inside, _that_ would show them who was in charge.

She kicked off her boots and threw her parka on a hook near the door. The dark blue clashed with the bright orange and crimson coats that belonged to the airbender family. It reminded her that while she might as well be Tenzin's family, she had her own in the South Pole waiting for her.

_Where will I go after Republic City anyway? I'm sure there's someone, somewhere that needs my help._ _Especially now that I can airbend and go into the Avatar State. _

Korra shook off the thought and continued to the dining room. She could hear music coming through the radio and voices laughing all together at something, most likely Meelo. Her hand was on the doorknob when it flew open from the other side and smashed her into her.

"ARGH!" She pressed her hands to her face and stumbled a few steps back. Her nose had a heartbeat and the rest of it felt like she'd been sat on.

"OH KORRA! I didn't see you there, you know, behind the door. Are you hurt? Did I hit you hard?" Bolin was frantically tugging on her arm and trying to life her up. She rubbed her face once more and allowed him to pull her up. She was immediately engulfed in one of his bear hugs, which crushed whatever wasn't by the door.

"Hey, I heard someone yell." A deep voice reached her ears and her cheeks grew warm.

"Why? No one was yelling, and I definitely didn't hit Korra in the face with a door." Bolin raised his hands innocently.

"What?" Mako tore his gaze from Korra's red nose to Bolin's twitching eyebrows.

"…What?"

"…Anyway…Korra, when did you get here?" Mako returned his gaze to his recently made girlfriend.

"A few minutes ago actually, sounds like there's a party going on in there." She looked over Mako's shoulder and caught a glimpse of Pema pulling Meelo back into his seat.

"Well come on, you don't want to miss it," He laughed and grabbed her hand, pulling lightly.

Korra smiled, blue eyes lighting up, and followed him to the others. They greeted her cheerfully, except Tenzin who frowned at her lateness, and she took her seat beside Mako. The food was pretty much demolished, especially around Bolin's spot, so no one would notice her lack of appetite. She pretended to listen intently to Ikki's monologue about her day, from the _moment_ she woke to a couple seconds ago. All she could really think about was the fact Mako was still holding her hand.

Bolin came in from whatever adventure he and Pabu had gone on, and turned up the radio. The song changed to an upbeat swing, and Korra began to nod along with the beat. "Come on Mako, dance with me."

He rolled his eyes and shook his head at her antics, tugging at his scarf. She stuck out her lip at him and stood up, gesturing for Bolin to join her. They were both terrible dancers, because while Korra had the fluidness of a waterbender and feet as light as an airbender, she could not master the idea of a beat. Bolin was just too hyper to take something like dancing seriously. Soon the entire room was laughing at their antics, and eventually all three airbender children decided to save the show.

Korra laughed and leaned against the wall next to the radio to rest. She could feel the song pound in her chest, matching the beat of her heart. She had closed her eyes to relish the moment of peace and happiness, the first she had felt since coming to Republic City, when the radio fizzled out.

Her sky-blue eyes snapped open, and she glanced to see if it had come unplugged. However nothing appeared wrong, the dial still shone brightly against the dull metal. Korra looked to the others, and realized they were still dancing and laughing as if it the song had never stopped.

"Good Evening fellow citizens of Republic City, this is Amon."

Korra froze, adrenaline and fear pounding through her veins, and faced the radio once again.

"There have been rumors that I have perished, vanished in the ocean, but I am very much alive. And I intend to finish what I started here. So, Avatar Korra, if you're listening, know I do not go back on my promises and. You. Will. Be. Destroyed." The radio grew silent, static filling the air like electricity.

Korra sent a blast of air at the machine, effectively smashing it against the wall. All she could hear were the pieces hit with a metallic cling and the sound of her own heavy breathing. Her mind reeled and stormed over this new development, _it was impossible._ _Amon is dead, they saw his boat blow up. The only things left were ash and wood._

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Author's Note: Please Review!


	2. The Hunt

Author's Note: I'm sorry for how late I got this up. School just started and I've never had so much homework in my life, so my updates won't be as frequent as they used to be. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter! Enjoy! (disclaimer: I do not own The Legend of Korra or any of its characters.)

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Korra felt a hand tugging at her shoulder, fingers digging into her skin. Somewhere in her head a voice whispered that she was making a scene, and that she needed to snap out of it. Fires fueled by rage and _fear_ burned the thought to ash and the embers ignited something else inside her. She felt a strange, foreign energy begin to bloom from the base of her back.

"KORRA!"

At the sound of Mako's voice, the power she felt bubbling under her skin receded back to whatever part of her it had burst from. She allowed his arms to wrap around her and pull her to his chest. Korra could hear other voices talking, whispering, hissing in the background, but everything was fading into nothing and all she could see was a pale, porcelain mask.

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_She stood at Aang's memorial statue, the sun glittering brightly against the choppy ocean. The crests of the waves shone like diamonds and there was a faint, salty taste in the air. Korra laughed, feeling giddiness building up in her chest as if she was counting the minutes to a probending match. _

_ "Hey, Korra." _

_She twisted her neck around to find the source of the voice, which she guessed was Mako's. _

"_Over here!"It echoed against the stones that made the base of Aang's statue._

_Korra giggled at his game, ignoring the unusual behavior Mako was displaying. She ran over to the memorial's entrance and hesitated when the walls at the corner of her eye seemed to flicker. _

_ "Come on, Korra."_

_ She turned her head toward the voice and saw Mako at the end of the hallway. He had his arms open with the palms turned upward. _

_ Strands of her chocolate brown hair blew in front of her eyes, briefly blocking her view of him. She swept a tanned hand across her face and strode over to the firebender, happy to end their game of hide-and-seek. _

_ "You found me." His voice sounded warped, like he was speaking through a fading microphone. He took a step forward, allowing the sunlight to dust across his features. At the sight of him her blood ran cold. "Game over."_

_ Korra shifted her weight to the balls of her feet, ready to fight or flee. However Amon seemed content to watch her for a few moments, she could see his blue eyes tracing over her face behind the mask. Whatever bravado she had, or insult that was threatening to burst from her mouth died as the seconds went on. _

_ "You didn't make this hard." _

_ She sent a wave of fire at him and sprinted away before he had time to recover. Terror gripped her heart and twisted her gut. The exit seemed to be getting further from her the harder she tried to run, and the walls slid closer and closer to her retreating form. Then she was on the ground, body jerking and trembling on the dusty, tile floor. Deep, satisfied laughter assaulted her ears. _

_ It wasn't a second later before she was on her knees, back straining as it was pulled backward. There was a flash of skin, a whisper of a scream, and an ice-cold touch on her forehead._

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Korra woke covered in sweat and clutching the remains of her torn sheets. The room spun around her, like some never ending whirlpool, and she crumbled back into her sweat-soaked pillow. Visions of her dream came slowly, hesitantly trickling back into her mind. Being awake and in reality helped calm her immediate urge to smash something, a typical reaction to any negative emotion. Instead she focused on the shaft of moonlight that filtered between the shutters of her window; since she was young the moon had always been a source of peace. Seconds turned into hours, and the brilliant sun shattered the calming moon all too soon.

Korra was first to reach the common room, the smells of eggs, and rice, and fish perfuming the space and filling her nostrils. For once she did not try to haggle an extra serving from the cooks, her stomach was too knotted and sick with the possibility of Amon's return. Instead she picked at a strawberry, staining her fingertips the color of blood, and waited.

Tenzin breezed through the doors in a swirl of yellow and red, seating himself in front of Korra without preamble. She looked up from the crimson pulp that was her breakfast and met his gaze. His grey eyes wrinkled and clouded with concern as he folded his hands on the table.

"Korra, I need to know what set you off yesterday. Whatever you experienced for felt before the Avatar State was triggered needs to be noted for your training in a few days."

_Training?_ She couldn't even comprehend _training_ at a time like this, and certainly Tenzin wouldn't brush off the radio message from the previous night. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, he wasn't making any sense. "I don't think now is the time to worry about that, we should be searching the city for Amon," she banged her fist on the table, "we have to find him before he starts another war or hurts someo-."

"Amon? What are you talking about? That monster is at the bottom of the ocean." Tenzin cut her off, his voice taking on a hard edge.

"The radio yesterday… remember? He said he was coming for me? How could you not of heard it?" Korra felt her palms begin to sweat and her heart begin to pound, he had to remember.

"Coming for you? Amon? I didn't hear any message from him, there was music until you smashed it to pieces. Perhaps you just feel stressed and need more time to recover after the trauma I'm sure you've suffered. Staying away from the city and focusing on your training would help put you on track." Tenzin spoke slowly, as if she was a startled animal.

"NO. I _know_ what I heard last night. He was speaking right to me! Tenzin you have to believe me, my gut it telling me that he's back." She jerked up, knees cracking, and leaned closer to him.

"I'm telling you, Amon has not returned and he was not sending radio signals, your mind and body are still in recovery from for bending being taken."

"What's this about Amon?"

Korra snapped her head up and saw Mako and Bolin entering the room, hair lopsided and eyes half-shut.

"Guys! You heard Amon on the radio last night right?" Korra nearly leaped over the table to get to them, desperate for someone to believe her.

Mako just slowly shook his head, giving her an unsure look. Bolin hid nothing, the word crazy practically written across his features and bubbling at his mouth.

"Look, we've been through some tough things lately, and-," Mako reached toward her.

She took a couple quick steps backwards, violently shaking her head. Even her boys didn't believe her. Korra opened her mouth to argue, but clamped it shut at the looks the others were giving her. No matter what she said, it was clear their minds were made-up.

After a few tense seconds of silence, she exhaled sharply and stormed over to the door. "I'm leaving; don't bother trying to keep me here." _Naga and I have some work to do._

The streets were lined with slush and dirt, pooling on the sidewalks and street corners to form filthy puddles. Satomoblies, their drivers thinking of only how they were late for work, drove straight through the snow's remains and splashed the unlucky few walking near the road. Korra began her search in the allies and dark corners of the city, where scum were normally hanging out. All she found were a few shady looking men playing cards, and none looked very eager to pick a fight with a polar bear dog.

She and Naga padded by the City Council Hall, still charred and partially crumbled from the war. At the sight of her, reporters came surging out of the building with pens and papers streaming behind them. Korra felt a low hum run through Naga as she growled, but waited for her master to give the signal to attack.

"AVATAR KORRA! What exactly happened in the final battle between you and Amon. Did he really manage to take your bending?"

"AVATAR OVER HERE!" Are there still any Equalists in the city? What are your plans to stop those who remain?"

"How did you figure out Amon's true identity?"

"AVATAR!" "AVATAR!"

Korra fisted the straps of Naga's saddle, ready to airbend all the reporters into the sky. A flash of black in the crowd caught her eye. She strained her neck to see all the way to the back of the reporters and citizens beginning to crowd. A figure stood several feet away from the main group, a dark hood pulled over his head shadowing his features. He tilted his chin up, eyes catching the rays of the sun, and Korra's bright blue eyes went wide.

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Reviews are awesome.


	3. Betrayal

Author's Note: Thank-you so much for the reviews I've been getting for this story! You guys are awesome! This chapter is pretty intense so enjoy! (disclaimer: I do not own any part of Legend of Korra.)

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He could have been carved from ice, with skin and eyes pale and lifeless. His hair stood out against his marble skin in sharp contrast, dark and faded. Korra was transfixed by the sight of the man before her, shivers running up and down her back when she noticed the dried blood on his chest. The Lieutenant gave her a small nod and opened his mouth slightly, lips almost a shade of blue. His jaw worked like a rusted hinge, jerky and slow, only adding to his creepy appearance.

She didn't give him a chance to speak, in a bur of navy she leaped off Naga and shattered the ground. The bulbs of cameras smudged into bright lines around her as she charged, people scrambling to get out of the way of their furious Avatar. She elbowed and shoved the unfortunate bystanders who crossed her path, sending them into the snow.

By the time she had forced her way through the crowd, he was gone without a trace. Masses of footprints in the snow made it impossible for her to differentiate any set that might have been his. Korra grit her teeth in frustration, hands clenched and stark white against her tan skin, and tried to think of what the Lieutenant's appearance had to do with Amon's return. _He used to be Amon's right hand man, but once he found out about Amon's bloodbending ability he defected. I never bothered to find out what happened to him, I guess he's still recovering from his injuries. But that dried blood on his coat? And why would he purposely seek me out? Unless he wants to warn me about Amon…_

A rough tap on her arm broke her train of thought, and she whipped around to snap at whoever dared poke an Avatar. A man with a lopsided hat and a wet coat had his arms crossed tightly across his chest, his face was almost beet red.

"I don't care if you are the Avatar, what gives you the right to shove us around like that? You're job is to _protect _us." He gestured to the flustered citizens behind him, nodding along and picking themselves off of the ground. The reporters continued to snap pictures and scribble on their notepads furiously, grins splitting their faces.

"I was trying to apprehend a criminal, who got away thanks to you all." Korra put her hands on her hips and glowered down at the man in front of her, who had the sense to take a couple steps back. She changed her focus to the people surrounding her, a spark of hope flaring in her chest. "Did any of you see a man with the long, black mustache? He used to be a Lieutenant for the Equalists, I'm sure you've seen him before."

"The Equalists?"

"Here, in the city?"

"She's crazy, there was no one there."

Korra flinched at the word crazy, a part of her beginning to fear it to be true, and whistled for Naga. She burst through the crowd with a roar, scattering the people around her. Korra jumped onto her back and raced back to the dock, feeling a city's worth of eyes watching her back. And knowing one of them could possibly be Amon.

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"Hey Korra, so what were you up to today? I noticed a lack of Avatar around the house all morning." Bolin greeted her with a tight smile and a worried glint in his green eyes. She could see his fingers twitching by his sides, and knew he was holding back bombarding her with questions. He was training outside by the flying bison, a stack of earth plates by his side, and had waved her over the minute she set foot on the island.

"I was looking for Amon," she said bluntly, too drained and worn to lie or brush the fact over. "I saw the Lieutenant today by City Hall."

Bolin's eyebrows furrowed and he pursed his lips; Korra could imagine the gears turning in his head. "Look, I don't know about all that Amon stuff, but we should see if Mako knows anything about the creepy electric stick guy. He keeps up with a few people from our street rat days, they might know something."

Korra smiled brightly at him, happy to have someone on her side, and tugged on his arm. "Come on then! Let's go see what City Boy is up to."

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"You saw who?" Mako choked on the water he had been sipping. A dribble stubbornly clung to the corner of his mouth and ran to his chin.

"The Lieutenant," Korra answered, bending the water away with a flick of her wrist. Part of her felt satisfied at his dumbfounded expression, maybe next time when she said the biggest-villain-of-all-time was back he would listen.

Bolin clamped a hand over his mouth in a weak attempt to cover up his laughter, he _never_ saw Mako look so off guard. He squeaked when his brother's sent him a scorching glare, fire lighting up behind his eyes.

"I was wondering if you could ask your 'friends' in the city if they'd seen him around. Bolin said you knew some people who could help." Korra tilted her head toward Bolin, who gave a nervous laugh.

"The only reason you want me to look for him is because you're still after Amon. I don't think I should feed this obsession you have." Mako turned his gaze back to Korra, who was getting angrier and angrier with every word he said.

"Obsession? This isn't about me not wanting to let go, it's about Republic City being in danger because no one _wants_ to believe he's back. As Avatar it's my duty to keep balance and protect people. You're my boyfriend, how can you not support me on something like this?"

"I'm sorry… I just can't." Mako stared at the empty glass in front of him.

Korra's heart lurched, and it felt like she had been punched in the gut. Without a word she left Mako's room, sliding the door closed softly, and crossed the hall to her own. It was barely the afternoon, but she had never felt more exhausted in her life. As she closed her eyes, images of a bloody jacket, dancing electricity, and a bright, full moon flashed through her mind.

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When she woke the sun was just beginning to set, casting long shadows across the floor that looked like reaching fingers. Korra didn't want to leave her room, but her stomach let out a sound resembling the call of a sealion-whale. And that had to be Water Tribe grub she smelled coming from the kitchens.

The minute she set foot in the dining room, she should have run. A group consisting of White Lotus, Tenzin, Mako, and Bolin were gathered around the paper. Odd, since normally the newspaper was delivered in the morning, but if there was a breaking story it wasn't unheard of to get one in the afternoon. Korra picked up enough noodles to feed an army, and plopped down across from unknown White Lotus member #4, or who she liked to call Man with the High Pitched Voice. She raised her eyebrows at their complete lack of reaction to her arrival, and narrowed her eyes at the front page. She promptly spat her noodles out across the table.

Dominating the front page was an image of her yelling at the crowd from earlier, several of whom were still picking themselves up from the snow. The tital read: **AVATAR GOES OFF THE DEEP END?** A quick scan of the beginning clip of the article told her that the entire thing called her crazy and malicious. Just as Korra was contemplating on how to burn down a building without being noticed, she heard a loud cough.

Tenzin was glaring down at her along with the White Lotus, while Bolin whined over the half-chewed noodles on his plate. She squared her jaw and met the others' gazes, determined not to be shamed.

"Korra, if you keep this up we're going to have to do something about it," Tenzin grumbled.

"You're acting like I'm a child who needs a timeout, it's not my fault none of you want to believe Amon's back," she spat.

"You hurt innocent people today Korra, and if this thing with Amon is the cause, then we have to take action." He exchanged a glance with the White Lotus, who nodded along.

"Take action? What exactly do you plan to do?" Korra jumped up from her seat and leered at the men across from her.

Tenzin took a deep breath, reluctance and hesitation playing across his features, and rubbed his temples. "Until your psyche can be analyzed, and we can find out what is causing this you to believe Amon has returned, you will be placed under house arrest. You will be kept in your room away from the city and other distractions until we can take you to the South Pole. There Katara will deal with any issues that have been aroused from the experiences you have had here, and I will also help you on a spiritual level."

Korra froze, processing what Tenzin had told her. _They think I'm crazy. They're trying to lock me up because they think I'll hurt people._ There was a beat of silence, and then all hell broke loose.

Korra flipped the table and dashed for the door, refusing to be caged for telling the truth. Immediately a layer of ice formed under her feet, causing her to slip and fall into another table. A sharp pain exploded along her left forearm, causing her to cry out. Two members of the White Lotus surrounded her, arms lifted in preparation to bend. She launched a blast of air at them with her foot, sending them across the room, and jerked to a standing postion clutching her hurt arm.

Korra scanned the room, searching for an exit that wasn't blocked off with the people she thought were her friends. To her surprise, Bolin had tackled Tenzin probending style, while Mako fought a White Lotus fire to fire. The room was in shambles, furniture scattered everywhere and small fires erupting around Mako and his enemy. She turned toward a window which she knew overlooked the ocean, an easy escape.

Just as she began to run, thick, metal cords wrapped around her middle and pulled her back. Several more restrained her arms and legs, effectively pinning her where she stood. Korra growled and sent a torrent of flames from her mouth, igniting the air in front of her. Someone slipped behind her and wrapped a gag around her mouth, choking the fire into nothing. She began to panic, anger and adrenaline pumping through her system. Before she could go into the Avatar State, more cords wrapped themselves around her torso and legs, like a metallic cocoon.

Thick tears of frustration blurred her vision, and she stopped fighting.

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A/N: I will not apologize for the epic trolling in the beginning! I've been outlining the next few chapters, and I'm pretty sure this will be way more then 5. Anyway reviews=inspiration!


	4. Jail Break

Author's Note: I just started to notice how short my chapters are, have you seen some of the books people write on here? It's amazing. I'm trying to update this story _at least_ once a week. To all those reading this right now, YOU ARE AWESOME! Thank-you for the reviews! Enjoy! (Disclaimer: I do not own The Legend of Korra.)

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Korra propped her elbows up on the windowsill, relishing the bite of the winter air on her skin and the waves of goose bumps pulsing down her arms. The landscape was barren of color and life, just stark neutrals of white, brown, and black. She was normally a person of fire and life, the city suiting her as well as sheets of ice, but today the dreary view seemed to fit. She was a prisoner in her own home, held captive by the people that made her whole world. Her lips twisted into a bitter smirk at the irony, cracking slightly from the dry air. The pain felt good, a distraction from the holes that littered her heart. But she was the Avatar, a leader and fighter, and she had been taught how to shove feelings aside to face the destiny laid before her. Not that she always listened, meditation and tucking feelings into dark corners were the abilities of airbenders… and she was a person of fire and life.

A guard passed by her window, their eyes briefly making eye contact as he passed. She watched his back and focused on the retreating crunch of shoes in snow until he was out of sight. It was a warning, a reminder that she was not alone, and she rubbed the scrape on her forearm. When they dragged her to her room, screams silenced by cloth and attacks restrained by metal, there had been no satisfaction on their faces. And when she had finally stopped punching the door and throwing her sparse furniture at the walls, she had begun to understand. They hadn't heard or seen what she had; they _couldn't_ understand why she thought Amon had returned. Korra had sat in the center of her destruction and had realized she would have to take this journey alone.

Korra abandoned her perch at the window, closing the shutters with a soft click. She heard some voices in the hallway, and carefully padded to the door. Korra pressed her ear against the door and strained to hear the mumbled words through the wood.

"…season starts in another couple months."

"Yeah, and maybe Tenzin will actually let us _listen_ this time."

Korra frowned and pulled away with a huff, just a couple loudmouthed guards. She'd have to go out the window when she left to avoid them in the cover of darkness. Then it was a straight shot to the salty bay. There was no question that she would be escaping tonight, even if she understood why they were worried over her, she had better things to do then stare at a wall.

The Avatar cleared away the skeletal remains of her end table and lamp with her foot, cringing as the porcelain cracked against the floor. Patience had never been one of her strong points, so doing nothing in her wrecked room until dark was out of the question. She tucked a strand of her chocolate brown hair behind her ear, her ponytail and hair decorations having fallen out in the fight, and sat. What she needed to do was talk to Aang, he would know how to find Amon.

She closed her eyes tightly and clasped her hands in her lap, taking deep breaths. Since she had gone into the Avatar State before, she figured connecting with him wouldn't be too difficult. She was not expecting the immediate feeling of a large, warm hand on her shoulder.

Korra snapped her eyes open nearly screamed when she found Aang sitting in front of her, legs crossed. It made her feel like there was an invisible mirror standing between them. The past Avatar removed his hand from her shoulder and eased back onto the floor, orange and yellow robes fanned out around him. A bright blot of color in the middle of the wreckage of brown, to her he looked like hope.

"Aang, I need your help. Amon is back, somehow, and I need to find him. Do you have any idea how he survived? Or where he would go?" Korra was surprised at how easy it was to remain connected to him, Tenzin had warned her that actually talking to her past lives would take weeks to master.

Aang frowned, grey eyes clouding like storm clouds, and she was instantly reminded of Tenzin. He seemed to be debating over his answer, and it took a few beats of silence before he spoke.

"If you truly believe Amon has returned, then I trust your instincts. I have sensed a slight shift in the balance of the physical and Spirit World, maybe he is the cause. But in my years of experience, things are rarely as simple as they appear." Even as he spoke, he began to fade around the edges like an old photograph. The connection was weakening; she could feel it slipping away like a bar of soap. The harder she tried to grip it, the more it tried to slip away.

"Whatever happens, I know you can handle it Korra. You've done it before." She caught a faint, reassuring smile before he was gone. The scent of mountains and sky lingered in the air in his wake, smelling familiar and easing the tension that held her bones in a death-grip.

_He believes me, I'm not crazy._ She rubbed her hand along her neck, easing the knots threatening to form. Her mind was beginning to cloud with weariness; it had been a very, _very_ long day. In fact, she was sure it was well into the start of night, the sun probably dipping just below the horizon. Korra rose to her feet and trudged over to her bed, the only piece of furniture that had remained intact during her rampage. _Just a quick nap._ She was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

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"_Come out, Come out Avatar. We have some unfinished business to attend too." _

_ Korra covered her mouth with her hands and cringed at every thud of Amon's footsteps against the dirt. She was crouched behind an ancient tree, cramped between two twisted roots that were as wide as Naga. Amon hunted her through the fog, a layer of mist so thick she could only see the faint shadows of other massive trees. Her heart pounded so loud she wondered if he could hear it too._

_ "There's no use hiding Korra, you know I will find you." His deep voice took on a hard edge, sounding almost like a promise. _

_ Korra wiggled further into the roots, hoping to just disappear inside them. She didn't know what it was about him that made her cower in fear, but her blood no longer boiled to fight. If she was fire, then he was the water that put her out. _

_ The footsteps stopped, and she could almost feel the weight of the enveloping silence press on her shoulders. She took her hand from her mouth and scanned the mist for Amon's approaching figure. A branch snapped to her left, around the side of the tree she hid behind, and a hand broke through the haze._

_ "KORRA!"_

* * *

It was like someone poured a bucket of ice-cold water over her head. Korra gasped and fought back the grabbing hands that tried to hold her steady. There was a frustrated hiss, and her weak, flailing arms were pinned to her side. Her heart was pounding… _Amon is here, he found me, I can't fight him off…_

"Korra, it's me, come-on we have to get out of here there's not much time."

_Mako._ Her eyes focused on the faint silhouette leaning over her bed. The tell-tale crimson scarf glaring in the dark. _He's trying to break me out._

"I snuck in through the window, but someone's going to notice I'm missing soon. Bolin's waiting for us by the south-side beach, we have to get moving."

"Why?" Her sleep-heavy mind was still processing the fact Mako was in her room… that only hours ago he had been refusing to help her.

"I'll explain later okay? Come on, get up." He tucked his hands under her arms and pulled gently, not bothering mask the urgency in his gaze. She was reluctant to follow, betrayal and the wound on her elbow still stinging. He tugged a little harder, scanning for guards out the window. "Please," he hissed.

Korra thought back to when she had been captured, remembering how both the brothers had attempted to hold off the White Lotus. She stood up on shaky feet and gave a curt nod, deciding that while she couldn't fully trust him, she needed to escape anyway. They were out the window in a blur of blue and red, moving through the buildings and trees like living shadows.

White Lotus and scattered policemen patrolled the island, their stark white and shiny metallic uniforms standing out like beacons in the dark. Mako took the lead, allowing Korra to judge if he was really helping her leave or was leading her to some sort of trap. He took a path that went directly south, sticking close to the shadows of the sparse trees that decorated the landscape. Korra could already smell the salt of the water and could hear faint waves crashing against the shore. The trees started to thin, and various sizes of rocks sprinkled the ground causing both she and Mako to occasionally trip and send pebbles crunching against other stones. They were about fifteen feet away before they were caught.

A bright light burned her eyes and bathed everything in white, the sound of multiple voices ripping through the quiet and echoing off the trees. Korra cursed and stamped a foot against the ground, lifting her arms to produce a wall of earth that blocked off the light. She blinked at the sudden darkness and squinted to search for Mako. He was stumbling around beside her, mumbling a string of words under his breath. Fire roared to life in his palms and his face came into sharp detail, panic and frustration written across his forehead. _We were so close._

* * *

I posted this with almost no edit time, so I'm sorry for any serious mistakes. REVIEWS MAKE THE WORLD GO 'ROUND.


	5. Down the Rabbit Hole

Author's Note: I'm sorry for the late update, school is crazy. I tried to make this chapter longer, so I hope that'll make up the lateness! I hope you like it! (disclaimer: I do not own The Legend of Korra or Alice and Wonderland.)

* * *

Korra took a deep breath to steady her shaking limbs, briefly focusing on the bright stars glittering through the branches above her. She _hated_ failure, to an Avatar failure could cost the world; she had been raised on the idea that there could only be success. Now to have it shoved in her face, to have every obstacle thrown in her way prove too hard for her to climb, it made her furious. The anger burned and raged through her body like an inferno, eating away at her mind and heart like a cancer. The feeling was not foreign; lately it was there more often than not.

"Korra, come on look at me."

She snapped herself back to reality, squashing and packing the heat into pit of her stomach. It wasn't the time to dwell, they needed a plan. Her eyes locked onto Mako's dark ones, almost perfect reflections of her own.

"We have to-"

"AVATAR KORRA, PLEASE RETURN TO CUSTODY WITHOUT RESISTANCE. WE DO NOT WISH TO HARM YOU."

The megaphone-projected voice came from the other side of Korra's earth wall. The police had caught them a mere fifteen feet from the safety of the bay, and most likely had surrounded the pair. She could see the blinding light catching off their metal armor as they darted through the few trees that stood near the cliffs of the island. No part of her wanted to fight her allies again, but it looked like they would have to.

"We can make a run for the cliff, if you can bend the water to catch us once we jump. I'll distract the guys blocking the way in front, you make another wall behind. No serious fighting and we get Bolin from shore after we're in the water," Mako whispered. She could see the silent plead in his eyes for her to listen. Korra clenched her jaw and nodded, knees already bent in preparation to bend.

"THIS IS YOUR LAST WARNING BEFORE WE USE FORCE. RETURN TO CUSTODY."

She sucked a breath through her teeth, eyes never leaving Mako's. He reached out quickly, grasping her bare hand in his rough, gloved one. His grip was tight and reassuring, and for a heartbeat it was like they were alone. In this moment she could pretend everything was okay and she was just coming to Republic City and _she was just taking her firebending test last month._ Then her heart pounded again, frantic in her chest, and the moment was gone.

Korra twisted to face the other way, feet slamming against the ground producing a wave of rolling earth. In the next beat she jerked her arms upward, forming a wall connecting with her previous one. Beyond the barrier she heard the thunk of metal cables deflecting off the sudden obstruction. Drowning that out was the hiss and roar of fire, and several cries of fury at each blast Mako was surely sending their way.

She whipped back towards the cliff, stumbling across the rocks as she pressed her legs to go faster. All around her was heat, rolling off the trees and rocks causing her skin to prickle. Pools of fire ate away at the land, and she felt a brief spike of guilt at the destruction she and Mako were causing. _Mako._ She searched through the tongues of flame and clouds of smoke for him, but could only make out faint shifting figures. There was a flash of bright red in the corner of her eye, the wrong shade for fire. The right shade for a certain scarf.

He raced toward her, sending small blasts over his shoulder without a pause in pace. There was some ash smeared across his cheek and a shallow cut across his upper-arm that was oozing blood, but in that second he had never looked more perfect to her.

They launched off the cliff together, dangling in space like ragdolls before Korra sent a tendril of water up to catch them. The relief of the freezing depths on her skin almost made her gasp, tiny bubbles tickling her lips. She felt several, rapid tugs on her arm and grabbed onto Mako's jacket sleeve. She twisted the water around them and together they launched to the surface of the bay, exploding across the bumpy water in a spray of salt.

"Hey guys, OVER HERE!" Bolin screamed from the shore close-by. He was jumping up and down and racing across the sand back and forth, before promptly tripping over a piece of driftwood. Korra allowed herself to laugh as he rose to his knees and proceeded to cough up sand. A small, orange dot jumped into his back and squeaked loudly.

She bent a current to take them into shore quickly, noting how Mako was clutching his hurt arm. The minute they hit land she crawled over to him with a handful of water, salty water but it would work, and began to heal the cut. He hissed and his eyebrows drew together sharply, but otherwise restrained from pulling away. Bolin was on his other side in a second, talking quickly and gripping his brother's shoulders.

Korra groaned as she pulled herself up, her sweatpants feeling heavy and clinging to her legs. The fires above them reflected across the water in shades of gold and orange, dancing across the waves like snake-bats. She glanced over her shoulder at the real inferno, and saw a couple figures gesturing and pointing in their direction. It was time to move.

"We need to go," she called to the boys, who were striding across the sand toward her. Pabu was at his accustomed place on Bolin's shoulders, fur fluffed up against the occasional bay breeze. She smiled crookedly, silently forgiving Mako for his previous betrayal, and enjoyed the brief sense of familiarity. Just her getting into some trouble with them, same old, same old. Korra clung to the feeling as she bent a bubble around the group and they disappeared into the water's maw.

* * *

"This way." Mako led them into a shady alleyway, trash and mud lining the brick and squishing under their feet.

Korra darted behind him, Bolin quick at her heels. Despite being off the island and in the city, they still weren't safe from police and the, most likely, searching White Lotus. The brothers knew every nook and cranny of Republic City from their street-rat days, and Mako was currently leading them to a safe spot.

They trudged to the end of the alley, breath curling up in front of their lips like smoke. Korra frowned and glanced around the small four foot space; no door, no window, nothing.

"Where are we going again?" She crossed her arms over her chest and repressed a shiver. She couldn't grab her parka when they left, and the only thing between her and the freezing air was a thin tank-top.

"Give me a second." Mako bent down and struggled to lift a heavy sewer lid. Bolin scrambled over to him and nearly threw it into the wall. "This way."

"You want us to go… in the sewer? Oh gross, no way!" She glared disapprovingly down into its dark depths, the stench already making her toes curl.

"It's either this, or we risk being caught on the street. It's better than it looks, trust me." He peered over the edge for a moment before jumping feet first into the hole. Bolin followed after him with a hand covering his mouth and nose, Pabu clinging to his shirt.

Before she could change her mind, Korra plunged in after him, hair whipping out behind her. She landed on her feet on the dirty, damp stone that lined the sewer system, her knees screaming in protest to the sudden strain. It was pitch black, and she could hear the slight gurgle of the foul river running somewhere to her right.

"We should find a place to settle down before the really bad criminals come through. Here, take my jacket and scarf so you aren't recognized. A lot of people down here wouldn't like the Avatar around." Mako's voice pierced the quiet on her left and she felt a bundle of clothes pressed against her arm.

She sloppily wrapped the scarf around her head and pulled up the collar of Mako's coat. Relishing in the warmth that came with the extra layers after the cold had sapped away most of hers. "Others? Who's down here exactly?"

"You remember where we stayed when Amon had captured the city? Well this is pretty much the same thing, a bunch of hobos and criminals living underneath the ground…. And that means trash chowder for breakfast tomorrow," Bolin's voice trailed off toward the end of his sentence, disappointment clear.

"Bolin, we're on the run from basically everyone in Republic City, Amon may be back from the dead, and you're worrying about a snack?" Mako hissed as he lit up a ball of fire in his palm. The light cast an eerie glow across the walls and floor.

"Well I _do_ have to eat don't I? Korra hates it just as much as me" The stocky earthbender flung an arm around Korra's shoulders and smiled cheekily.

"I'd just like to get there in one piece first," Korra answered, shrugging off his arm and lighting up her own torch in her hand. The reminder that Amon was perhaps lurking around any corner of the city dampening any sort of high spirits she had.

They traveled along the river for several minutes, footsteps sounding like firecrackers in the dead quiet. Once or twice Korra thought she saw a flicker of movement in the dark, a flash of black on black. When the others didn't raise alarm she let the idea go, deciding if something wanted to pick a fight it would have already. Eventually Mako took a left into a tunnel branching off from the main channel. It was cramped and tight, prompting a nonstop string of complaints from the group's bulkiest member.

The tunnel curved to the right after what seemed like hours of trekking, at the end was the mouth glowing faintly with light. Korra uttered a sigh of relief and snapped her hand closed, the fire once burning in her palm quenched. A few more steps and she was stepping through the threshold and into the blinding light.

It was amazing, there was an entire civilization living in the bones of a city. There were tents of every color and size stacked on top of one another like the skyscrapers above ground. Separating each level of tents were sketchy-looking boards that bent slightly in the middle, yet somehow managed to hold the weight of dozens of people. _No, not skyscrapers, but stacked neighborhoods._

Korra gaped around at the small stacks of boxes that served as stores, bits and pieces of food and trash displayed like prized jewels. A man near the entrance waved a stained shirt in front of Mako, who was dressed in only a white tank-top, before quickly jumping to the next person to cross his path.

"It's hard to believe this is all here, right underneath our feet," Korra whispered, tugging on her collar when a couple men began gesturing in their direction. "Where do we stay?"

"We have to find whatever space isn't already occupied; people can get pretty territorial about their property here." Mako started toward one of the makeshift neighborhoods with a new confidence in his stride.

They found a spot wedged between a couple tents, which would provide some shelter from the cold. They laid down with Korra in the middle, despite her protesting that the one with the less clothes needed to be warm. In the end she ended up spreading Mako's coat over them like a thin blanket. And despite the light that colored her eyelids red when she closed them, she was able to sleep.

* * *

"_You're always running Avatar, why don't you fight?"Amon taunted. She could see his eyes darting around in search for her in the shadows of his mask. "Maybe even a friendly chat?"_

_Korra was hidden behind a tent at the edge of the supports for the level. There were no people, no signs of life except for the demon that was currently stalking her._

"_It's the same every time, or have you not noticed yet? You're never going to get anywhere if you just keep doing the same thing. Fight me." He spat the last part, stopping a few tents from her spot._

_The words sounded riddled and twisted to her ears, like she was staring at a book trying to remember the pronunciation. Like clutching at straws._

"_Fight me, so I can destroy you!"_

_Her vision was filled with white and red, and two pale blue eyes. Then she was running, stumbling along the tunnel in the rancid smell of sewage. She didn't question how she got there, just that she needed to keep going, find a way out. _

_She tripped in the dark, landing with a crunch on the cold, stone floor. There was no pain of skin scraping against grit, just the feeling that her world had been flipped upside down and she wasn't on the floor but dangling from the ceiling. Korra felt something wiggle underneath her chest, followed by something crawling along the back of her hand. _

"_GET THEM OFF!" She screeched, rising to her knees and swiping at the insects clinging to her skin and clothes in one fluid motion. There were thousands upon thousands of bugs crawling over her body, the most noticeable being large, black centipedes. Somewhere around her there was deep, mechanical laughter._

She woke-up with a start, breathing harshly on her back. The ghosts of the insects' touch still made her skin tingle. The other dreams had slipped through her fingers like water, only tiny details like droplets remained. This one was different; her gut told her it was a warning.

* * *

A/N: Drop a review! I'd love to hear your theories about Amon.


	6. Seeing Old Friends

Author's Note: Thank-you to all the reviews I've been getting for this story, I really appreciate everyone who reads this. Enjoy! (Disclaimer: I do not own The Legend of Korra or any of its characters.)

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Korra swirled the mystery goo in her bowl absentmindedly, still trying to pick through her dream in her mind. She suspected Aang had once again been trying to warn her of something, perhaps Amon was hiding with them underground in the tunnels. However the insects were strange, an odd detail to draw her attention to. _Mako and Bolin are worried enough, if I ask them it'll only give them something else to have to think about._ A small part of her was still wary over sharing things with anyone after the incident on the island.

The group was sitting against one of the walls surrounding the sewer chamber, eating breakfast Mako had bartered for with a spare coin found in his pocket. If you could call it breakfast. She raised her spoon and watched the yellow liquid fall in chunks back into the bowl. Next to her Bolin was slurping down the stuff like it was his last meal, and all it took was her own serving under his nose for him to polish hers off too.

"Alright, we need a plan. We can't just run around the city like we used to since we can't afford to get caught." Mako plopped down in front of them and gazed at Korra expectantly.

She took a deep breath and tucked away her dream into the far corners of her mind. "What we really need are answers on Amon, and the only person who has them _is_ the guy."

"What about the Lieutenant?" Bolin piped up. "You said he was trying to find you before, if anyone knew anything about Amon it would be him."

"Yeah," Korra nodded along, "maybe he'll still be willing to talk to me."

"The only problem is we don't know where he is either." Mako frowned, drumming his fingers across his knee in thought.

"Well… I bet someone down here does. This place is probably crawling with people who keep tabs on those sorts of guys." Korra scanned the constant parade of passerby.

"I could find some old… friends I guess," Mako agreed, "_you_ can't be searching around here though, it'll look suspicious if a newcomer shows up asking questions. Plus I'm pretty sure you'd be recognized"

Korra frowned and stuck-out her chin, checking to make sure Mako's scarf was still wound around her hair.

"You could check-out some places topside, as long as you were careful. Maybe there's a clue to where Amon is in some of his old hangouts." Mako offered.

"Good idea, but I don't think this disguise is going to work well on the surface. And I don't know how serious people are going to take you with only an undershirt on." Korra tugged on Mako's gray jacket that was draped around her shoulders. She still wore her watertribe clothes underneath, it wouldn't fool anyone.

Mako eyed her and let out a frustrated huff. "We do need money to buy clothes you know, and my pockets are empty."

"All I have is a fire-ferret." Bolin patted the large bulge in the front of his shirt, which proceeded to squeak and claw its way to an opening in his jacket.

"Then let's just steal the stuff and pay them back later."

"Not a good idea, everyone here is a thief, they know all the tricks. We'd get caught," Mako muttered.

"Then I've got nothing," Korra admitted grudgingly, as soon as the words left her mouth an idea sparked to life in her head. "But we _do_ know someone who has plenty to spare."

There was a pause of silence, and then Mako proceeded to groan like a hippocow.

* * *

"Ok, the coast is clear lets go," Korra whispered, racing from her position behind a street lamp to the twisted iron gate in front of her. She placed her hands around the metal bars, so cold they burned, and gazed at the sprawling compound in front of her. There were only a few lights on in the Sato's series of mansions tonight, like tiny stars in the distance.

Mako pulled up beside her, closely followed by Bolin. Both were shaking slightly in the cold, but while for Mako it was a slight twitch in his arm, Bolin was busting at the seams.

"Can we hurry and get inside already? I can feel icicles in my hair," Bolin whimpered.

Korra bent the earth at their feet into a platform and lifted it to the level of the fence. They jumped down onto the ground and she quickly lowered it back down, in case of guards. They kneeled by a low garden wall next to the beginning of the stairs leading through the various buildings .

"Why are we bothering to hide anyway? It's the police we're running from not Asami," Bolin muttered.

"I wouldn't be surprised if there were some here, Tenzin and BeiFong probably figured we'd eventually go to Asami. That's why we left at night, remember?" Korra explained, scanning the area around them. "No one's here."

They sprinted up the stairs to the next level, checked around, and continued. The process continued until they were at the main house, the large wooden doors looming in front of them..

"We can't go in this way… which window goes to Asami's?" Korra asked, her breath curling in front of her face like smoke.

"Around this way, she has a whole balcony we can sneak onto." Mako led them quietly around the side of the house, darting between bushes and ducking under windows. Korra attempted stealth-mode behind him, occasionally snapping branches which were then crushed by Bolin.

They arrived under a carved stone outlook that faced the mountains around the city, which threatened to tear the slightly smoggy sky glowing dully with constellations. The swollen moon glowed bright above them like a lighthouse, bathing the snow covered landscape in brilliant white. Korra was transfixed by the sight until the ground started moving underneath her, Bolin grunting with the effort of lifting them up to the balcony.

She jumped on top of the railing and kneeled there cautiously, taking a quick look for anybody guarding the windows. They were alone. Korra motioned for the boys to follow and strode to the gigantic windows dominating the wall, a small set of glass doors indicating the entrance. She jiggled the handle, scowling when it refused to allow them entrance.

"Bolin, now would be a great time for you to learn metalbending." Korra gestured to the lock.

"Why break in? Let's just knock." Bolin pressed his face against the glass and slapped his palm against the door. "ASAM-"

Mako nearly jumped on Bolin's back in his hurry to shut him up, hand squeezing his brother's lips together. The incomplete name echoed off the estate walls and into the night, causing a flurry of crowrats to take flight.

Korra held her breath, entire body tense as she waited for an alarm to sound, a person to shout, or an army of police to come charging for them. Instead there was a faint squeak as the door opened and a head of long, ebony hair poked out.

"It's you!" Asami threw open the door and ran out to greet her friends, bouncing on her bare feet and clutching her nightgown. Her emerald eyes shone in the moonlight the color of mint leaves. "The police came earlier today asking after you, they didn't tell me why. What's going on?"

"Let's get inside first, they may still be observing your house," Korra urged, glancing over her shoulder.

Asami nodded quickly and led them through the doors, shutting a velvety curtain behind them. The room was submerged in darkness, only the faint outlines of furniture visible. Korra waited while Asami flicked on the lights, the sudden exposure causing her eyes to burn.

"So, what exactly is going on?" Asami turned back toward the group and crossed her arms expectantly.

"I… over the past few days… there's been some weird stuff going on," Korra started, her gut clenching at the thought of telling another person about her suspicions on Amon. She fisted her hands until the nails left crescent-shaped dents in her palm and began again. "I think Amon has returned to Republic City."

Asami narrowed her eyes to slits and furrowed her brows, "I thought he died out at sea with Tarrlok?"

"So did I, but I heard him on the radio and I saw the Lieutenant…," Korra thought to her dreams, "and I just have a gut feeling." _Those visions I've had aren't solid enough proof for them yet._

Asami stumbled back to the edge of her massive bed, hitting the comforter with a soft thud. "Impossible… he's supposed to be dead," she whispered, and then her face shifted. "I remember hearing a housekeeper yesterday telling someone about the news… a story about Korra." She gazed around the room for an explanation.

Before Korra answered Mako spoke-up, "it was nothing, just the usual gossip." His expression was carefully masked, revealing nothing about the truth.

Asami gave him a quizzical look, but seemed to accept his answer."Weird that they'd put something like that in a newspaper. Anyway, I know I helped during the Revolution, but right now this seems like the last place you'd need to be."

"Honestly, we could use some different clothes. If we went out in these anybody would know who we were." Korra tugged on her thick, navy pants and gestured to her blue tank-top which failed to cover the still healing cut on her arm. Mako had taken back his old jacket when they left the underground city, unlike herself the two boys couldn't run around in the snow with a sleeveless shirt.

"Why does it matter if anyone recognizes you? Does it have to do with why the police were here?" Asami questioned.

"Oh yeah, we're sorta kinda on the run from Tenzin, the police, and the White Lotus." Bolin shrugged and continued to pet Pabu. "They want to take Korra away to the South Pole."

Asami laughed, shaking her head back and forth, and eyed their appearances once more. "I think I can get you all something."

Korra tugged on the long-sleeves of her new shirt, which was too tight around the torso and green. She slipped on the brown jacket that Asmai had given her to wear for the cold, a long coat which went to her hips and had a thin layer of fur around the cuffs and hood. She was given long pants which tucked into brown boots that matched the jacket, something Asmai probably made an effort to put together. She did a quick run through of basic bending forms, relieved to find the material practical enough to fight in.

Korra exited the small room Asami had given her to change in and made her way back toward the room. Mako and Bolin were already waiting for her with Asami, both dressed in neutral tones of gray, black, and brown.

"Nothing too colorful or that shows your element."Asami gave both Mako and Bolin a hat to cover their faces. "And Mako, your pocket should be big enough for the scarf."

Mako blinked and carefully unwound his crimson scarf from his neck, folding it neatly into his coat pocket. "Thank-you."

"So, what's the plan now?" Bolin asked, running his hands along the soft material of his shirt.

"I was thinking…you and Mako should go back to the sewer. If it's alright with Asami, I'd like to explore around Hiroshi's old underground liar." Korra flicked her eyes over to Asami to gouge her reaction. Her face immediately grew strained, mouth set in a thin line and eyes turning sharp enough to cut stone. Pain was mixed in there somewhere between, fresh and untamed.

"I can't go with you down there, not yet, but I'll be happy to show you the way. It'd probably be best if I can somehow throw the police off your trail if they come back here too," She said, each word clipped.

"Should you go there alone? What if Amon is waiting there for you? Or a group of ex-Equalists?" Mako shook his head slowly, distaste clear.

"I am the Avatar, I can handle this." _You've done it before._ "Trust me."

* * *

Korra watched her boys disappear through the maze of buildings and lawn until they were small dots leaping over the fence. Asami laid a hand on her shoulder and continued toward her father's old shop, back rigid. She took a deep breath when they reached the twisted, broken metal door that remained after the raid so many weeks ago.

"I'll be okay from here Asami." Korra gave her a small smile, knowing that her friend was currently lost in a sea of memories. Asami's glazed over eyes blinked in response, and she gave a tiny nod. Asami waited until she crossed through the threshold and disappeared into the remains of the shop before retreating back through the crunchy snow. Korra thought she heard a faint "good luck" come from her, as faint as the wind.

Korra brought a ball of fire to life in her hand, casting a dim light over the gaping hole ripped into the floor. She felt her heart begin to pound in response to the seemingly bottomless pit before her, the fear of running into her enemy alone entering her mind. She almost smiled at the complete contradiction to her earlier behavior and crumpled the fear threatening to immobilize her. _I am Avatar Korra, I can defeat whatever stands in my way._ She clung to the thought like a buoy as she descended into the ground.

The air was heavy and damp, almost as thick as the steel walls around her. The lights once lining the way down had long since gone out and gathered dust. She thought back to the ghost stories her father used to tell her around the fire pit in their igloo.

"_There was a woman once, hundreds and hundreds of years ago, who wandered out into the arctic," He father started, voice dropping to an eerie drawl. "No one knew what caused her to stray so far from the tribe, but one night she was there and the next she had vanished. Her husband, a powerful man, searched and searched for her, but she was never found."_

"_Then he can't be powerful like me, I'm the Avatar I could have found her!" Young Korra interrupted her father to brag, flicking an ember of fire into the air for emphasis._

"_Yes, I'm sure you could have Korra. Maybe it's not too late, they say her spirit still wanders the ice looking for a way back home."_

Korra cautiously stalked out of the tunnel and into the open chamber where Hiroshi and she had once fought. Defeated mecha tanks still loomed where they were taken down, like sleeping giants. She cast the fire around the broken glass and snapped metal, catching the light like diamonds. _No sign of activity._

She searched the exterior of the room, opening several small doors which only lead to small closets or stocks of electrified gloves. Only one contained any information, a small meeting room full of diagram after diagram of weapon designs. They were pinned to the wall and scattered across the table haphazardly, as if Mr. Sato had just finished one design before starting to sketch another. She scanned through quickly before burning them all to ash, deciding some never needed to see the light of day.

At the end of her tour there was a large switch connecting to a series of cables that led up into the cloaked ceiling. She gripped the handle and thrust her weight upward, the handle groaning as it went into the on position. Lights from above snapped on in layers and layers of bulbs, pounding away any darkness in the chamber. Korra put out the fire in her hand and blocked the brightness with the other, grimacing in annoyance.

The hair along the back of her neck prickled, rising in thousands of tiny goose-bumps. She lowered both hands to her side, the pain in her eyes ignored. There was a presence behind her, a set of eyes boring into her back. Korra turned over her shoulder, and the air left her lungs in a rush of air at the sight that awaited her.

* * *

A/N: Excuse any serious editing errors, I tried to get this out as soon as i finished it. Please leave a review!


	7. Solving the Riddle

Author's Note: Get ready for a more exciting chapter.(I hope) Thank-you for every review and for reading! _**This means a quote from previous** chapters._ (Disclaimer: I do not own The Legend of Korra.)

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The lights turned his mask blindingly white, save for the circle the color of blood decorating his forehead. His eyes were two black holes, yet she could feel the orbs watching her, calculating in the cover of shadow. Her heart pounded so loud she could have sworn it echoed off the abandoned chamber's walls. Amon appeared content with watching her squirm, making no move to raise his arms from his sides.

Fear threatened to crash over her like a tidal wave, to drag her under until there was nothing else but choking emotion. She fought against the impulse to run, flashes of her dreams searing across her mind like fire. Part of her was angry that Amon's mere appearance was able to overwhelm her when she had already faced him.

_Only this time his goal is to destroy me._ Korra clenched her jaw and fisted her trembling hands, trying to focus solely on the fight before her. He remained still, like a cold statue. _Then I'll make the first move!_

Korra sent a blast of air spiraling toward her enemy, which he simply stepped a few paces to the right to dodge. Not even his cowl fluttered slightly. She felt her fear give way to bubbling anger, embers sparking between her fingers.

"What? No blood-bending Noatak?" She taunted, rushing toward him with blazing fists. He didn't respond, only bending his knees in preparation to the coming onslaught that was the Avatar. Korra threw punch after punch, bright streaks of orange light that colored Amon's mask in abstract twists. _Punch left. Kick right. Opening under his arm._

Sweat dotted Korra's brow and cheeks as she frantically tried to land a hit, moves growing more and more desperate and unguarded. Eventually the fire in her palms flickered out and she simply tried to fist fight. Her breath was too uneven and harsh to try airbeningd. Her muscles screamed in protest for her to stop. _He hasn't even raised a finger_.

Every cell in her body was desperate to feel that he was even there, that she wasn't just fighting a figment in her mind. The more she attacked and missed the more her feelings heightened. In one final attempt she leaped forward to tackle him, only to hit the platinum floor with a sharp crack. She tasted blood when a stray piece of metal cut into her lip, metallic and warm. The scrape on her forearm ached and stretched, breaking the healing scabs.

Amon strode over to her prone form, standing in silence. She tried to rise and move away, but he grabbed her injured arm and pulled her back. Korra gave his shins a couple of weak kicks, and clawed at the hand that held her. He made no sound of pain, and the grip tightened painfully. He brought her face close to his own, and even then she saw nothing of his eyes nor could she hear any labored breathing.

"I will destroy you… from the inside out… until there is nothingleft." He whispered, voice as thin as air yet as strong as steel. His words ricocheted off the walls, repeating over and over again in her ears. "Only then can I rest."

Korra could only stare in horror, insults and protests dying on her tongue and leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. That or the blood from her lip. The only thing that kept her sanity was the feeling on his hand on her arm, the feeling of flesh on flesh. He was alive. She grasped for this thought as the tidal waves around her continued to whirl, weighing her down and stinging her eyes. She felt the droplets crawl down her face slowly, leaving salty trails behind.

Amon released her arm then, letting her fall to the floor in a heap. She barely registered the change, a new idea breaking through the torrents. He wasn't going to end her yet. He was going to let her live, live in fear of when he would come again. Destroy her from the inside out.

Korra felt a rush of adrenaline jolt through her system, like electricity through her blood. She began to rise to her feet, unwilling to let him win so blatantly. She'd show him that the Avatar was in charge.

Her fist was inches from his face before Amon decided to move. He grabbed her wrist and twisted it behind her back so quickly the room became a blur of white light. Before she could even take another breath pain exploded next to her neck. She fell through the air like a ragdoll, twisting as Amon pulled his hand away. Her back hit the cold floor first, limbs splaying around her like broken branches.

She thought of when she was young, when her mother had taken her outside into the snow and showed her how to make snow-angels. They'd spent the rest of the day running through the arctic, and the next she was being taken by the White Lotus. The old men mumbling stuff about Avatars and bending and power, she just _knew_ she'd be the most powerful one yet.

The world began to swim and blend into random bands of gray and white. Like the waves. And she drifted deeper and deeper, down to the seabed. The chaos of the surface was muted and far away. _I can close my eyes for a few seconds._

* * *

Mako scrambled across the snow towards Asmai's father's workshop, each footstep puncturing through the top layer of ice with a sharp crunch. It was well into the morning, the bright yellow sun pulsing above him in the sky and the air thawing from the previous night. Korra had been gone for hours, well past when he'd assumed she'd be back. _I didn't want her there in the first place… if I'd just stopped her…_ He paced up the pace, disappearing down the pitch black tunnel with only wet footprints behind him.

The air clogged his lungs and stuffed his nose, and Mako often found himself gasping as he descended. He paused at a boot print glittering with water from a light source he could make out at the end. _Korra made it to here._ He started running again, desperation pushing him to go faster. The main chamber was filled with light, washing the machinery white and stinging his eyes. He blinked a few times, disoriented, before continuing forward. _Can't see_. He tripped over something large and crashed to the floor, the bolts digging into his hands.

He rose to his knees, looking over his shoulder to see what he hit. "KORRA!"

* * *

_When she sees Amon this time, she doesn't fear. They pass by each other in the water, him floating to the bottom and her rising to the top. The mask looks flimsy, like it's made of paper. She strained to keep her eye on him, the water around her going from navy to turquoise as she approaches the light. He looks just like her, caught in the ocean's current. Except… Korra looked closer at the dark shapes rising up to meet her enemy from the abyss below. Hundreds of arms claw at his clothes, ripping the edges and clinging to his form tightly. His face looks like a pale white dot, and she swears she sees a grinning twin beside it._

* * *

She woke to the smell of garbage soup and the sound of someone slurping loudly. Dazed blue eyes creaked open to a patched tent ceiling, coloring the soft light like a rainbow. It made her head pinch in protest.

"Korra! You're up!" Bolin slammed his bowl down and got off the dusty floor. She groaned as the sharp noises rebounded inside her head. It was like all the noise of Republic City during traffic in her head. Something in Bolin's gaze caught her attention. She watched his face carefully, noting the stress and tension he was poorly concealing. _Bolin's always had his heart on his sleeve._ Korra reached out grasped his thick, calloused hand and squeezed. He gave her a signature toothpaste grin that spread from ear to ear.

Then it fell abruptly, the lines returning to his face like stubborn creases. His hand tightened painfully, and she could practically see the gears turning in his head.

"What is it?" she croaked, voice cracking slightly.

"Mako and I, yesterday, we went searching for some information about Amon and the Lieutenant. There's nothing on Amon, just that he died in an explosion. But the Lieutenant… Korra, I don't know what you saw before, but he's dead too. We even got where his tombstone is"

* * *

They stood in the last rays of sunset, the fading sun at their backs and long shadows stretched before them. A plain marker was placed in front of them, small and inconspicuous when compared to the ones around it. Korra collapsed to the ground and pressed her hand to the Equalist symbol carved carefully under his name, the last bit of proof that this was in fact the Lieutenant's grave.

"I know what I saw before, and I know I don't have a split-lip from some made-up fight." Korra ran a hand over her aching arm, another piece that proved her fight was real. _The Lieutenant is dead… then before… was that a spirit? The only spirits are in the Spirit World._ She thought back to the lessons the White Lotus had skimmed over, something about her being a bridge and that Tenzin could teach her more after she learned airbending.

_**"Korra, I need to know what set you off yesterday. Whatever you experienced or felt before the Avatar State was triggered needs to be noted for your training in a few days."**_

"_**I have sensed a slight shift in the balance of the physical and Spirit World, maybe he is the cause. But in my years of experience, things are rarely as simple as they appear."**_

_Aang mentioned the Spirit World was unbalanced._ _And with the Avatar State, connecting to my past lives, I wouldn't have needed training with that anymore. Tenzin must have meant crossing to the Spirit World. If I am the bridge between worlds maybe I can see spirits easier than others. Plus, strong spirits have been known to manifest themselves in our world if they're disturbed enough, and Amon didn't die in peace. But Amon is a human spirit, and I doubt he would be powerful enough to return here._

Korra took a deep breath, feeling like she trying to put a puzzle together but missing one final piece. "There's something wrong with the Spirit World… I need to see Tenzin."

* * *

A/N: Please review, as always.


	8. The Other Side

Author's Note: First off I'd like to apologize for the late updates. A week is passing by like a day lately, but don't worry I won't forget about this story. I've gotten so many views and you all are amazing! Enjoy! (disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Korra.)

* * *

Mako groaned, slapping the palms of his hands against his eyes. On the ground beside him, Bolin rolled back and forth while clutching his sides tightly in laughter. He peeked through his fingers and sent a silent prayer to the spirits that were watching over him. He needed whatever protection he could get from the world's crazy Avatar.

Not even a day ago she was crouched in front of a grave, attitude serious enough to rival Tenzin's. Now she was sending pillars of bright orange fire into the air, screaming at the top of her lungs, "LOOK HERE I AM! THE AVATAR!"

According to her it was the only way to ensure they were taken back to the Island. Why they couldn't just go to the marina and _then_ get captured was a mystery to him. He watched her bend bright balls of fire into the air that exploded like fireworks, a smile nearly swallowing up her face. His current theory was that she was spending nervous energy… or maybe frustration. Like a kid throwing a tantrum, but enjoying it.

The sound of whirling cables and footsteps reached his ears before the others. He grabbed Bolin by the collar and yanked him to his feet, hoping there wouldn't be a fight but not taking any chances. Korra ran over beside him, hair a mess outside of its usual ponytail and eyes as bright as the sky. It was contagious, and even as the White Lotus and police descended on them, he smiled.

* * *

Korra tried to ignore the blatant stares of the White Lotus just across the ship deck. Normally she wouldn't bother trying to hide her irritation, but she figured their distrust in her was well placed. She could see the charred part of the Island's forest that Mako had burned down, shattering its usually peaceful aura. It made her stomach twist in guilt.

"Are you sure this is a good idea? After everything we did to escape?" Mako leaned close to her and whispered.

Korra gave him a quick glance and nodded despite the doubt in the back of her mind. "Tenzin knows more about the Spirit World than anyone else in Republic City. He's the only one that can tell me what might be going wrong."

"Yeah, but do we really have to wear these cuffs?" Bolin lifted his metal encased wrists to her eyes and wiggled them back and forth. "I mean it's not like _I_ burned down half the Island."

Korra snorted and swatted his hands away with her own chained ones, the wrists of which were beginning to chaff. "Deal with it; we did nearly burn up a whole block to get their attention."

"No, that was another one of your ideas that got us in trouble. I had nothing to do with it," he grumbled, shifting to lean against the boat's rail. Korra smirked and noted they were only a few minutes from the dock, and judging by the orange-yellow blot waiting for them they were in for an earful.

"NOT ONLY DID YOU NEARLY BURN DOWN MY ISLAND, BUT YOU HAVE THE NERVE TO DEMAND MY HELP! I'VE BEEN WORRIED SICK ABOUT YOU RUNNING AROUND THE CITY ON SOME HAIR-BRAINED MISSION TO FIND AMON!" Tenzin's face put a tomato to shame and every sweep of his cloak sent a whirlwind of air into their faces. His gaze never strayed from Korra's, steel gray clashing with ocean blue.

"But I was right! Amon's not alive, but he isn't gone. There's something wrong in the Spirit World and it's my job to make it right." Korra crossed her arms and stuck out her lip. A new energy had filled her at the prospect of answers, not even a furious Tenzin could dampen it.

"What are you talking about?" Tenzin sat down on the steps behind him and rubbed his temples.

"Spirits have manifested themselves in the human world before, and I think Amon is a disturbed spirit. But he's not powerful enough to come here, he's still just a human spirit, so there's another piece I'm missing. Something has to be going on in the Spirit World."

"What made you come to this?"

"I _know_ I saw the Lieutenant a few days ago… and yesterday we were standing in front of his grave. Also I was able to connect with Aang, and he told me there was an unbalance between our worlds. The two have to be related."

Tenzin's eyebrows furrowed and he sighed deeply, "It would make sense. There are plenty of ancient spirits that could be at work here too. Have you received any other visions?"

Korra grasped for the hazy memories of her dreams. "I've had a few weird dreams lately, but I can only remember a few things. I was running from Amon and fell, and then these giant, black centipedes started to cover me. I was in a ravine once; it was covered in fog and had giant trees. Last night I saw Amon floating to the bottom of the ocean, and there was another face beside his that was almost pure white."

"Black centipedes…" Tenzin's eyes glazed over in thought, beard twitching from a tick in his jaw. "I think… I think Aang taught me about a spirit related to centipedes. He kept a journal of the ones he encountered while in the Spirit World, for me to give the next Avatar when they were ready." He stood up and gestured for them to follow.

Korra awkwardly shuffled after him, hands still clasped in chains. Mako and Bolin were uncharacteristically silent, and a quick look told her they were just as apprehensive over this unnamed, ancient spirit as she was. An enemy that could reach across two different worlds was a daunting one.

Tenzin lead them to a library Korra had never seen before, not that she was typically catching up on her reading. There were shelves and shelves of books, stacked neatly and covered in various layers of dust. The room itself was small and circular with large windows that overlooked the ocean. A worn armchair was stationed under an equally ancient lamp. Tenzin ran a finger over the spines of a section of books, mumbling the titles under his breath. He came to a stop at a leather bound, thin journal and pulled it out carefully.

The title was hand-written in carefully blocked letters and read: Spirits of the Spirit World. She caught Aang's name scribbled in the corner.

"Now," Tenzin began to flip through the pages, "I know I read something about a centipede… here." He strode over to a small end table and opened the book to a page filled with notes. "This is Koh, the face stealer."

"Creepy," Bolin murmured behind her.

"Face stealer?" Korra repeated. She scanned through the notes in horror, eyes catching the words dangerous, ancient, powerful. This spirit could take someone's face at the slightest flicker of emotion, and was the enemy of a previous Avatar. _Amon said his goal was to destroy me, and Koh has been known to dislike Avatar. Maybe he wants me gone too._

Aang had drawn a sketch of Koh on the other page. He looked like a gigantic centipede with the face of a human, a face that looked exactly like the one in her dreams. Pale and grinning, the only difference was she could see make-up on its lips and around the eyes.

"If it is Koh that's been helping Amon, then I need to know how he's doing it and how to stop him." Korra looked up from the book and at Tenzin expectantly.

"The only way you could confront Koh directly would be in the Spirit World, but that would be too dangerous. In the Spirit World you cannot bend, and both Koh and Amon could be waiting for you on the other side." Tenzin shook his head slowly, eyes still on the journal.

"I don't care; I'll just have to take that chance."

"Korra…" Mako snapped his jaw closed, cutting off whatever he was going to say. The boys gazed at her with worry, but seemed to understand she needed to go.

"How do I get there?"

* * *

Breathe deeply and close your eyes, focus yourself on the spiritual energy inside you." Tenzin instructed, sitting crossed legged in front of her. They sat in the same pavilion where she'd previously failed to meditate and the irony was not lost on her. _At least he finally took those cuffs off._

Korra inhaled sharply and tried to feel the energy that consumed her in the Avatar State. It flickered in and out of her grasp, there one second and just beyond her reach the next. She could feel Mako and Bolin's eyes on her like a spotlight; breaking her concentration and making every passing second feel like an eternity.

"It was easier before, when I helped BeiFong and tried to talk to Aang… why can't I do this?" Korra opened her eyes to Tenzin's closed ones.

"You like to help people, giving Lin her bending back was your duty and so you weren't intimidated. Talking to Aang is really talking to yourself; your past lives are a part of you. Entering the Spirit World is difficult for any Avatar, especially since you have only just recently gone into the Avatar State for the first time. You must let these feelings of self-doubt go, and calm your mind."

Korra shut her eyes once more and inhaled slowly, imaging that her worries disappeared with every exhale. She focused on her memories of home in the South Pole, of practicing with Mako and Bolin during Pro-Bending season, of playing tag with the airbending kids.

_There._ She gripped the spiritual energy in an iron clad fist. It instantly pulsed and surged under her skin like electricity, sending waves of goosebumps down her body. Then it stopped, cut off as quickly as it came leaving her breathless.

Korra was up before her eyes opened, giddiness urging her to _move_ and make sure she'd succeeded. She snapped open her eyes and smiled when Bolin and Mako continued to stare at where she sat before. A glance over her shoulder told her that her body still sat undisturbed, and she didn't look again. _Too weird._

"Aang?" She cupped her hands around her mouth and called. There was no movement except for a breeze that she couldn't feel, stirring the leaves in the trees and on the sidewalk. The groan of a skybison pierced the silence, sounding from the training grounds. She raced down the outside hallway the lead to the pavilion and leaped over the stairs. Waiting for her were Aang and Appa, the biggest skybison she'd ever seen, who promptly licked her from head to toe.

One look at Aang's face wiped the growing smile off her own. He reached down to help her up onto Appa, muttering yip yip under his breath as they took off.

* * *

A/N: We officially over halfway through with the story, but I think I'm going to write longer chapters so I'm not sure how many are left. **Review.**


	9. The Centipede

Author's Note: Hello my wonderful readers! Thank-you once again for all the alerts, followers, and reviews. I hope you guys like this chapter, enjoy. (Disclaimer: I do not own The Legend of Korra.)

* * *

Korra watched the city fade to a gray speck behind them as she and Aang went deeper into the Spirit World. The landscape blazing by beneath them was full of green, every inch layered with new vegetation. As they crossed over to another realm she saw a plant with a bulb-like top split in half, barring rows of shiny white teeth.

"There's not much time before we reach Koh's domain, and I cannot follow you there." Aang turned to face her, apparently trusting Appa to know the way.

"What? Why?" Korra demanded, tearing her gaze from the sprawling ocean that had replaced the plants. Although it had been day seconds before, a swollen moon hung low in the sky reflecting off the water with all the brightness of the sun.

"Each spirits' powers swell in their realm, their energy flows easily through it to do their bidding. Going into his domain I am already weak, but if he does not want me there I could simply fade. You are still alive, and you are the current Avatar, so your spirit is strong enough to go into whatever realm you want," Aang explained, a permanent frown marring his face as he spoke.

"But we just passed through a bunch of realms and you didn't fade there." Korra gestured towards the ground, which had shifted to an open field that shone like gold.

"We are on the outskirts of these places, and most spirits that dwell here are not malicious like Koh."

Korra nodded grudgingly and crossed her arms, waiting for him to continue.

"Koh has been a long time enemy of Avatars, since the last water-bender before you in the cycle. Why he has chosen to once again interfere is unknown, but that's what you're going to confront him for. He can steal your face if there is the slightest hint of emotion. And he will do anything to get a rise out of you. We do not know the full extent of his powers, so do not attempt to fight him. You can't bend here. If he will not let you go, then concentrate on returning to your physical body."

Appa began his descent into a foggy abyss that was punctured only by bare, skeletal tree branches. She could see shadowy figures lurking in the mist, gigantic blots darting in and out of the trees.

"How do I find his lair?" Korra asked, gripping the edge of the saddle around Appa tightly.

"Just keep going into the mist, the thicker it gets the closer you are. Once you reach the center of his domain it will clear and you will see a path of rock pillars leading into a gnarled tree. His liar is inside. And remember, no expression at all."

_Some directions those were. _Korra leapt off of Appa and walked a few paces before glancing over her shoulder one last time. Aang gave her a reassuring nod, the fog already filling the space between them and blurring even Appa out. Another few steps and she was encased in it, only the occasional branch stabbing out at her. Out of instinct she tried to light a torch in her palms, and had to fight back a wave of panic when the elements didn't heed to her call.

_The world was on its axis, and it felt like her heart had been ripped out of her chest. Like Amon had taken the very spirit out of her body. She numbly flung out a fist, feeling the lack of fire in response like a physical blow. Whatever spine she had left crumpled along with the rest of her as she fell to the floor like a ragdoll. Then there was blinding light, a static she was barely aware of in her ears, and Mako was running._

Korra shook her head, scattering the memory like leaves. _Keep calm, no expression._ She schooled her features into a perfect poker face, usually reserved for the White Lotus or Tenzin. She hadn't even encountered Koh, and she was already losing her grip. The fog had grown to about the density of a brick wall, and she allowed one last shiver to pass down her spine before she reached the spirit.

* * *

It was like someone had taken the world and flipped it upside down. The rock pillars Aang mentioned extended downward into infinity, no ground to block its path, only more sky. She peered over the cliff cautiously, if there was a bottom it was completely covered by mist. Korra exhaled and took a few steps away from the edge, bending at the knees in preparation for the jump to the first pillar's top.

_Now!_ She sprinted until the last second, and then launched into the air in a cloud of dust. There was a beat as she was suspended in between the two formations, nothing keeping her from falling forever but the fog in the air. She hit the ground hard, rolling over her shoulder and onto her feet in one fluid movement. She sucked in a breath as she jumped to the next one, the back of her foot nearly slipping off when she landed. The rest were spaced closer together, as if Koh were inviting those who had managed to survive the others inside.

Korra rested against the gnarled tree and searched for a way inside, the bark digging into her back. A set of stairs nearly covered in roots and dead leaves began on her left. She had taken step forward when a branch from above smashed into pieces a few feet away. Sapphire eyes scanned the tree for any threats, coming to rest on a monkey swinging from branch to branch. It wrapped its tail around one and dangled upside down, giving her a full view of its blank face. Her heart clenched in response, there was proof of Koh's powers. She clenched her jaw and ran down the winding steps that wrapped around the massive tree's roots.

The stairs leveled out in front of an archway made of the trees twisting roots. Through the archway was a seemingly infinite darkness that extended further inside the tree trunk. The air was foul and thick, nearly making her gag. _No emotion._ Korra shoved a limp root out of her way and marched into the deep, eyes looking as dead as everything else in Koh's realm.

She came to a cleared circle in what felt like the center of the tree. Shafts of pale, ghostly light wormed their way in from gaps in the roots and clung to the interior like spider webs.

"Come out, Koh," Korra called. Immediately there was a shift in the atmosphere, and she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand straight up. She glanced sharply over her shoulder, nothing. The air stilled, as if holding its breath in anticipation.

Claws dug into her arms, rows and rows of sharp points burying into her skin and pulling her like she weighed nothing. Korra choked back a scream and fought to keep her face neutral as the arms continued to pull her around and around. She came to a fault so hard her teeth cracked together and the room continued to spin like she was in the center of a whirlpool.

A face as pale as the moon forced itself into her field of vision, eyes as dark as night and lips drawn back into a blood-curdling grin. _The same face next to Amon's in my dream._

"You called Avatar?" Koh's voice rumbled in her chest and echoed off the chamber walls, it sounded like he was mocking her.

"You know why I'm here," she answered, careful to keep the bite out of her tone.

Koh's smile spread wider, but his eyes darkened to two black coals. "You remind me of another Avatar… some 900 years ago maybe. He too was arrogant and bull-headed." His face rippled like the surface of a pond and she was met with the image of a beautiful woman with long, brown hair.

"I don't know what you are talking about," Korra drawled, "Why are you interfering with the physical world now?"

Koh morphed into the face of a blue, demon-like creature. His brows drew together sharply and he shoved his face so close to hers that his breath fanned her cheek. It smelled even fouler than the air. _Oh spirits, if this doesn't break me nothing will._

"I do not like the Avatars. The idea of a mere human holding the most powerful position over the physical world makes my skin crawl. And _bending_, that evil is the source of every disaster, every problem we spirits watch destroy your world and ours. But what really puts me over the edge, what really gets me going, is when a human like _you_ is able to have such abilities." He released his grip on her arms and curled his body around her like a fence, face arching over her.

"So you sent the spirit of a dead man to haunt me?" Korra fixed her gaze on her feet, fighting to keep her temper in check.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend," Koh answered, "And I was not going to let his failure result in your behavior continuing to go unchecked."

_Koh hates bending and Avatars… Amon's goal was to rid the world of it and he was determined to take my bending away. He failed at both. How does Koh play into this? Did he help Amon when he was alive? Or did he just grab Amon when he died because he knew it would mess with my head?_

"So you've been sitting in this tree watching a _mere human_ do your work for you?" she baited, shifting her eyes to meet his directly.

"Ignorant as well as arrogant, is that irritation I detect Avatar?" He smiled at her taunt, and she scolded herself at the slight show of emotion. She was lucky her face hadn't changed. "I think I'm done talking with you."

Korra pinched her leg slightly to prevent herself from flying at him. _Aang said not to fight. Aang said not to fight. No emotion. No- _

"Avatar Korra." Koh's eyes bored into hers, searing her very insides and digging up memories of when chi-blockers dragged her into the dark. "I will destroy you, slowly, from the inside out."


	10. Too Close to Home

Author's Note: Words cannot explain how bad I feel about updating this late. A month can go by so fast. Thank-you for all your favorites, alerts, and reviews, it means a LOT to me. Enjoy! (Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Korra or any of its characters.)

* * *

_"I will destroy you, slowly, from the inside out."_

They were the same words Amon hissed into her ear in the bowels of Hiroshi's workshop. Nearly the same exact thing he repeated to her during the Equalist revolution, under Aang's statue and after he took her bending. Her pupils retracted painfully into pinpricks, tiny black islands surrounded by seas of blue, but her face portrayed no flicker of feeling. _He's just trying to get in my head. This is just another mind game he's using to break me. No emotion. No emotion. No emotion._

"I will lure your friends here one by one; that firebender, those airbender brats, or maybe even that new baby boy. No one will be safe from me, and there is nothing you can do to stop it!" His face had changed to one of Fire Nation descent, spit flying from a mouth nearly covered by an enormous moustache and eyes sharp as flint.

"I will do anything in my power to make you fail. No mortal in your pitiful plane will trust you or follow you. And in the end, when everything you love and cherish has been lost, when all of your friends are faceless and gone, even then I will not take your face. I want you to be able to _see_ your world fall apart."

She was numb except for the harsh beat of her heart against her ribs, like a bird straining against the bars of its cage. Then she saw red.

"I WILL STOP YOU BEFORE YOU CAN TOUCH ANY OF THEM! _I _will destroy _you_." She felt no fear this time, just pure wrath coursing through her veins. It took a few moments of harsh breathing and narrowed eyes before she caught herself. Her burning insides frosted over instantly, her teeth clicked together as her jaw clamped shut. _He could have taken my face. I can't trust anything Koh says. All of those threats before could have been a trap for me to get angry._

Koh simply smiled, face changing back to that of the woman with brown hair, and began to crawl back into the darkness of the tree roots. A single chuckle escaped from between his teeth before he vanished completely, leaving Korra alone under a single spot of dusty light. She eyed the growing shadows with a gaze cold enough to burn and turned away on her heel.

The air outside was feverish and Korra immediately felt the presence of the faceless monkey in the branches above. She walked slowly, like a ghost, weaving up the steps in a daze. The previous fire that burned in her gut had extinguished, and she felt like she was once again caught under the waves. She didn't realize she'd made it to the top until her back was sliding down against the rough bark of the tree trunk. She collapsed onto the dirt in a cloud of dust and pulled her knees to her chest. The cliff edge was only feet away, and she thought back to the icy shores of the South Pole. _Last time Aang was there to save me, Asami saved us from the Lieutenant and her father, Naga saved me from freezing in the mountains… even Amon saved me from Tarrlok. I've never handled something by myself, and when I've tried to follow my gut I've failed._

"Koh called me bull-headed… said my behavior needed to be checked. Maybe he was right," she whispered. "And now my friends are paying for it."

The monkey once again appeared beside her, and to her horror it began to paw at her arm. It craned its neck up as if to look her straight in the eye, and then curled up against her side. She warily put an arm on its back, patting it a few times absentmindedly in comfort. _I can't let my friends end up like this… but I can't rush into a fight this time. Not if they're at risk._

* * *

Mako stared at Korra's immobile body, her face as relaxed and calm as he'd ever seen. He decided he liked her hair down, even though it was stained with grime along with the rest of her. It was strange seeing her in clothes outside of traditional water-tribe garb, fashionable ones at that. He recalled his mother wearing a similar jacket years ago and quickly shut out the memory.

"Anything?" Bolin peeked his head out the door, Tenzin allowed them into the house to eat earlier.

"Nothing," he answered, stepping away from Korra and settling onto the chair in her bedroom. They'd moved her body earlier out of the cold when it looked like she wouldn't be awake anytime soon.

"I don't like this Spirit World stuff… we can't help her fight spirits," Bolin grumbled, leaning against the wall behind his brother and putting Pabu on the bed with Korra. The orange mammal quickly curled up at her side.

"I know how you feel," Mako agreed, rubbing a hand across his face. He was exhausted, and as Bolin carried on about how 'Korra could handle anything anyway' he slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

Korra slapped a rotten branch out of her face, hoping that somehow Koh could feel it from his underground lair. She screamed and tried to raze a tree to the ground when her hair caught in a second branch, but only succeeded in tangling her hair further. _Stay cool, remember we think before we act now. For your friends._ She sucked in a deep breath and nearly tore her brown locks in freeing them.

She reached what appeared to be the edge of the dead forest. A wall of shimmering reflected the landscape behind her, warping the trees and fog into grotesque shapes. She placed her hand on it and pushed through, and felt something slimy on the other side.

"GROSS!" She ripped her hand from the wall and gazed in horror at the green liquid coating her fingers. Korra absentmindedly wiped the stuff on a tree and continued along the edge of the wall, hoping to find the clearing Aang originally brought her to. The fog was thinner here than in the center of the realm, but she still couldn't see more than six feet all around.

A loud groan sounded from in the mass of fog ahead, followed by the deep groans of falling trees. A stern voice that sounded suspiciously like Tenzin silenced the groans and snapping twigs, and she rushed toward the sound before it was swallowed up in the mist. The giant, bulking shape of Appa appeared hazily, and she didn't stop running to it until she felt fur beneath her fingertips.

"Korra!" Aang sprang up from his seated position and landed on the forest floor without a sound. He ran his gaze over her as if searching for some mortal wound, and she watched some of the lines around his eyes disappear at the sight of her unharmed.

"Koh is using Amon as part of some twisted plan to get back at me for being a bad Avatar." Korra launched right into informing Aang. The lines on his face reappeared in full force as he listened to her explain her encounter with Koh. His eyes turned into two burning coals at the mention of Koh's threat to his grandchildren, and he was already climbing back onto Appa by the time she finished.

"I didn't want to have to force you to do this now, but we have no choice."

"Do what?" Korra asked, gripping her knees tightly as Appa took off. There was no shakiness in her voice, just a hard edge of determination.

"Master the Avatar State."

* * *

Mako drifted down a foggy street, peering cautiously into the dark allies lining the road. It could have been any part of Republic City, except at this time of night the streets should have been lit with bright yellow lights and he was the only person in sight. He searched for the skyscrapers that should be piercing the sky, the satomoblies that should be clogging the air. Stars dotted the night like diamonds on velvet, and it occurred to him he'd never seen so many at once.

A scream pierced the quietness like a trumpet, a high pitched wail that tugged at something in his chest. He didn't think before he ran, didn't realize that the setting lay before him was twisting and changing. The gasps that ripped from his chest when he stopped rose in front of his mouth like smoke. A family was pressed against a brick wall a few blocks away, a male figure protecting a woman and two small children. Another man in dressed in dark was braced before them, hands outstretched.

"Take our money and leave us alone," the man hissed, ripping a small amount of coins out of his pocket and tossing them at the robber's feet.

The other man didn't say a word, just glanced at the money on the ground through narrowed, golden eyes.

"If you expect more than that we have nothing else to give," the woman spoke-up, fire dancing between her fingers and illuminating the panes of her face. His mother had never been capable of much beyond small tricks.

"MOM!" Mako raced forward, "MOM! DAD!"

The robber chuckled and raised a fist covered in an inferno of flames, dwarfing the woman's mere sparks. "Don't threaten _me_ woman. Hand over the rest of your money and I won't give your little boys some pretty scars."

Mako stumbled on an uneven patch of cement, falling to the ground chin-first. His eyes never left the scene playing out in front of him even as he scrambled to his knees. "STOP! STOP!"

He watched his father try and launch rocks at the mugger, but whatever bending his mother was capable of his father could only do half as much. A few pebbles tapped the hand of the thief, followed by a huff of amusement.

Mako reached them just as the bender let loose a wall of fire that threatened to engulf the entire family. He threw his arms out and attempted to bend the attack away, but to his horror it simply passed through him like he was a ghost. He heard the screams behind him, and smelled something burning. All he could do was stare into the yellow eyes of the man who took his parents' life.

"Pity," the murderer spat, rubbing a ring on his right hand with mild interest. A tiny part of Mako's brain recognized the symbol encrusted on the front, the Sato family mark. As the man raced away Mako saw the glint of jewelry from underneath his coat, a necklace Mako had seen Asami's mother wear in a picture.

"Mom…Dad…" a tiny voice whimpered behind him, followed by a wail that could only belong to Bolin.

He finally turned to find himself at eight years old kneeling beside his parents. His father pressed the famous red scarf into his hands, and as the young Mako clutched it for the first time Mako himself gripped his own.

The memory melted away like ice, leaving Mako alone in whatever dead city he was in.

"What would you give to see them again?" A dark voice whispered behind him.

* * *

A/N: Reviews=Inspiration. If it wasn't clear the last part occurred in Mako's dream, I just didn't want to italicize such a large section.


	11. Change

Author's Note: I'm back! Thank-you for all the reviews, and enjoy. (Disclaimer: I do not own The Legend of Korra.)

* * *

Mako shivered, a wave starting from the tips of the hairs on his head to the bottoms of his feet. He knew the owner of that voice. He tore his golden eyes from his dead parents and focused on the figure shadowed in darkness and mist.

"You could you know," Amon stepped out of the darkness clad in the same uniform he died in, "I could take you to them."

At first his heart lurched at the thought, and behind him, the child versions of himself and Bolin cried out like an echo if his own feelings. Being with his parents was a dream he'd abandoned long ago, a yearning that he'd thought was extinguished. However, whatever lingering feelings he had paled in comparison to his hatred of the spirit before him. He was no idiot, and whatever Amon planned to offer wouldn't end with a family reunion.

"I don't know how you got here or what you want with me, but I'm not going anywhere with you." Mako spat, narrowing his eyes.

"I'm not the one offering."

"Then who is? Koh? Still not interested, you're wasting your time." Mako furrowed his brows in thought; Amon didn't seem like someone who would work as a mouthpiece for someone else.

"Fine, you don't want to see your long-lost mother and father. For your brother's sake I would follow, do you think he would refuse the same offer?" Amon's voice turned venomous, and Mako felt his blood go cold.

* * *

"Where are we going?" Korra peeked over Appa's back as they navigated through tall, misty mountains. Unlike the fog in Koh's world, the air here made her feel at peace, like she was dreaming.

"To the place all Avatars live when they die. A realm of perfect balance and tranquility," Aang answered reminiscently, no doubt thinking of the air temples in his childhood.

"I guess I'd need all that for meditating, I could never get it right before," Korra admitted.

She yelped as Appa took a steep dive, the wind whistling through her hair and stinging her eyes. The fog parted around them like water and revealed a meadow bathed in sunlight below. The mountain ranges circled the area like silent guardians, and she could see faint temple-like structures carved into their sides. The sun colored the clouds pink, and dusted the snow-capped peaks with gold.

They leveled out and began to descend towards one of the many rolling hills in the meadow. Appa landed with a loud thud and scattered thousands of pale blue grasshoppers and purple butterflies. She leaped from his back and laughed as the tall grasses tickled her hands and the bugs leapt into the air. Aang dismounted Appa silently, gripping her elbow and tugging her towards a grove of trees.

"Where are the other Avatars?" Korra craned her neck from side to side, hoping to catch a glimpse of one of her other past lives.

"Oh, they'll come eventually," Aang answered, "they know you can't afford to be distracted now."

"Kinda hard not to be distracted in a place like this," she muttered as a large, pink bird called at the pair from the trees above.

"I hate to sound morbid, but you'll have plenty of time to see this all later."

Korra frowned and focused on the dappled shadows of the treetops on the ground. _That's right…this is where I'll go when I die._

The soft sound of trickling water reached her ears in the quiet chatter of the forest. She glanced over Aang's shoulder and saw a series of pools between the trees, layered so that a small waterfall ran between each one.

"As you have noticed, you can't bend in the Spirit World, so that limits your attacks down to two options; hand to hand combat, or energy bending," Aang stopped beside the top of the pools, "by mastering the Avatar State, I hope it will be easier for you to control the life energy inside yourself and others."

"What exactly does that mean?" Korra asked, "The only form of energy bending I've heard of was taking someone's bending abilities."

"You can manipulate the life energy within someone, such as what occurs when restoring or taking bending, with energy bending. However we are dealing with spirits and spirits are a form of energy. If you master energy bending, you can manipulate their very nature. It is perilous though, and you could potentially lose yourself when you hold another's very being."

"So if I overpower Amon's energy with my own, I can get rid of his spirit? Since all he is, is energy?" Korra furrowed her brows and stuck out her bottom lip in thought.

"Exactly, but overpowering a raw spirit is difficult to say the least. I am hoping that by going into the Avatar State when you try to manipulate his energy, you will have full access to your spiritual nature and he will be easily overpowered." Aang nodded.

"What about Koh?" She bit out, eyes sparkling briefly with unbridled rage. The emotion was difficult to grasp, and she suspected it was the _perfect_ _balance and tranquility_ Aang mentioned before.

Aang let out a long breath of air, staring at the pale, false sky above them. "He is an ancient, powerful spirit. One that has influenced the world since before the moon came to the sky. I fear that by destroying him, it would have some terrible result in the physical world."

"Then we'll deal with that after he's gone! Whatever part of the physical world he controls probably isn't good anyway," she hissed.

"You have to consider the politics of the Spirit World as well. I'm sure there are many spirits who would side with you, but there are others that would fear an Avatar willing to destroy one of their own. Those spirits would most likely choose to act on that fear, and you'd be dealing with many more Koh's."

"So… how can I stop him?" She fought the desperation threatening to leak into her voice.

"The moon spirit, who once resided in the physical world, was killed by a firebender named Zhou. The spirit was revived because part of its energy was inside a girl, who gave the energy back and became the spirit itself. Perhaps we could find a way to transfer Koh's energy into another, so Koh could be destroyed without harm to the physical world and the other spirits would know you are focused on balance not revenge." Aang frowned in thought and turned his gaze from the sky.

"But who'd ever get his energy would also replace him, like that girl who became the moon. They'd be trapped in his realm forever," Korra whispered. "And couldn't a spirit as evil and as strong as Koh take over whoever housed his energy?"

Aang nodded, surprise flickering behind his eyes at her answer. "Well thought, that is one of two problems I haven't got an answer to. I'm also worried that other spirits will have a vendetta against you no matter if we keep Koh's energy and balance. But time is of the essence, and we need to begin with the Avatar State."

Korra frowned; it seemed that by getting rid of Koh she would just be making more enemies in the Spirit World. Plus they still didn't have a… host for Koh's energy.

"Now to master the Avatar State, you must clear your chakra. Chakra is an energy that flows through the body at seven different points, and each point is controlled by a certain emotion. Each chakra point can be opened or blocked based on that emotion. If any of these parts are blocked, then your chakra cannot flow freely through your body. For example, the pools next to me are clear, and the water flows easily from one to the next," Aang raised a hand toward the water, "But if leaves or branches were to fall in and contaminate one of the pools, the water would be unable to continue on its path."

"Ok, chakra flows like water through the body. There are seven points that can be blocked by a certain emotion, and if they are blocked the chakra can't flow. I need to unblock my chakra points to master the Avatar State," Korra repeated.

"Correct, we are going to start with Earth chakra, at the base of the spine. It deals with survival, and is blocked by fear. Meditate over all that you fear, and banish these thoughts from your mind," Aang instructed, and closed his eyes.

Korra clasped her hands together, shut her eyes tightly, and imagined all her fears before her. An image of Amon's face looming above her own danced behind her eyelids, the feeling of his cold thumb pressing against her forehead followed. She saw herself desperately trying to call fire, break earth, mold water, and twist air, only for the elements to ignore her call. Then her friends appeared one by one, each crying out before their faces became blank slates. Koh popped out of the darkness behind them with a grin twisted in laughter. _I told you I'd destroy you._

The young avatar inhaled deeply and stamped out the images like dying embers. Something uncoiled in her chest, like a fist relaxing, and she felt like a weight was lifted off her shoulders. _I've always been so afraid, from the beginning._

Korra opened her eyes slowly, blinking hard as they adjusted to the soft light filtering between the trees.

"Congratulations Korra, you've unlocked your first chakra point. There are six more, so be ready for more of a challenge ahead. Now the next chakra is water, which deals with pleasure and is blocked by guilt. What do you blame yourself for?" Aang kept his grey eyes on her blue ones, apparently waiting for a vocal answer.

Korra stuck out her lip in thought; guilt was a foreign emotion. She was the kind of person who kicked butt and asked questions later, never looking back and always pushing forward. "That's it I guess, I feel guilty that I've never _felt_ guilty before. If I had been a better Avatar, a better person, we wouldn't even be here now. It's my fault everyone's in danger." She snapped her jaw shut and tore her gaze from Aang's.

"You must accept what you have done wrong and move on. Whatever has led you here doesn't matter anymore, it's what you do now that everyone will remember," Aang paused and laid a hand on her shoulder, "I used to blame myself for the extinction of my people, for abandoning them. I didn't want to be the Avatar, and so I ran away just before the Fire Nation attacked. Like you, I was a bad Avatar, but you have a chance to save all those in danger. Do not let guilt prevent it."

"I won't." Korra vowed.

* * *

A/N: Please drop a review


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